Strange
by Kalysia
Summary: A new case disrupts the unit, one that no one had ever expected. What happens when they must race to find one of their own?
1. Bloody Messages

Disclaimers: None of the SVU characters of mine.  
  
Author's Note: Well, this is a new story for me. I started it as something else, but then turned into what you see below. I hope you like it.

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_ Strange.  
Just so strange.  
I don't understand life, the cycle that turns and goes in different directions. I don't understand how it can flourish in glory in one moment, and be snatched away in fury in the next. Maybe, it isn't that I don't understand it. It could be something else. Perhaps, it isn't that I can't understand it.  
I just don't want to._

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That was the final thing that Elliot read, as he placed the journal down on the nightstand, where he had found it to begin with. It hadn't given up much to help his case; a few entries about a lost love, and a lost friend, all pointing to a very confused, depressed individual. Once more, the journal entries just made him worry. The last entry in the diary was three days ago, coinciding with the timeframe when its owner had gone missing. No one had heard from her in three days, but no one had thought to call in the police until now.  
  
"Anything?" Elliot heard Fin call from the little kitchen nook, which lay relatively close to the bedroom. Elliot turned from the nightstand, and the journal, and proceeded to walk out of the room. He was about to call back to Fin, when he spotted something on the medium coloured dresser by the door. He bent down, pulled out a glove, and dabbed the glove in the substance that was staining the wood. Pulling the glove back, Elliot studied it, and sighed in disgust.  
  
"We've got something, here!" he called, knowing that this was the last thing that he had wanted to find.   
  
"What is it?" Fin asked, as he entered the room, followed by a few CSU detectives. Crouching down beside Elliot, Fin looked at the glove in his hand. Elliot, who had a hand on his mouth, and was still studying the dresser, handed the glove over to Fin. Fin looked at it, and turned back to Elliot. "Blood?" Elliot just nodded his head, hand still covering his mouth. Fin stood, and placed a hand on Elliot's shoulder, indicating that they should let CSU do their jobs. "Let's get out of the way." Elliot continued to stay in his position. "Elliot?"  
  
"Yeah," Elliot acknowledged, and he stood from his spot. "Sorry." Fin nodded, and they both went out of the bedroom, and into the living room, where John was looking around. "John, you guys find anything?" Elliot asked, hopefully. When John shook his head from side to side, Elliot's heart sank even deeper into his body, something that he didn't think was possible anymore.  
  
"Nada. We're still looking for the people in the building, the super, namely." He looked at Elliot, who was chewing on his lower lip in thought. "Elliot, why don't you take a minute, huh?" John suggested, putting a hand on Elliot's shoulder, and pointing toward the hallway. "We've got it in here for a few minutes." Elliot nodded, not giving it a second thought, and stepped toward the door.  
  
"I won't be long," he said, turning to the left, just outside of the apartment. He stopped, and leaned his back against the wall. He let his head hang for a second, and then pulled it up, letting it rest against the wall. Closing his eyes, Elliot drew his head forward again, and smacked it back against the wall, not caring who heard it. He was frustrated, knowing that none of this should have happened. The blood was just another thing that he was kicking himself for; if she was hurt, he would never be able to forgive himself, nor look her in the face. "Olivia, where are you?" Elliot sighed to himself. He had vowed a few hours earlier that he wouldn't rest until he found her, and he meant it. He was prepared to be at work all week if need be, not leaving for anything. That was ridiculous, he knew, because he would have to go home to get clean clothes. Other than that, nothing was going to make him leave without a lead.  
  
"Elliot!" he heard Fin yell. "Elliot! We've got something!"   
  
Elliot opened his eyes, regained his balance from the wall, and began to walk back inside. The whole thing, to him, made little sense at all; Olivia hadn't called in sick, which had been overlooked at work somehow. No one had seen her enter or leave the building for a few days, and, now, there was blood. "_Who would want to hurt her_?" Elliot had asked himself that same question at least five or six times since he discovered the blood, and he still had no answer.  
  
It was just so strange.

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Author's Note: Yeah, it's a bit short, but I tend to do that with opening chapters. The next one will be longer, I promise. Reviews, (kind and/or constructive), are greatly appreciated, and will be graciously accepted. Thanks for reading! Untile the next chapter... 


	2. Give Him Hell

Disclaimers: None of the SVU characters of mine.  
  
Author's Note: Thanks for all of your kind reviews! This chapter does go in a few different directions, but, being a case-in-progress, that is how I hear that things sometimes go. I hope that you enjoy it!

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"What have we got so far?" Cragen asked, as he saw the detectives walk into the squad room. His face was lined with worry, just as it had been all morning; one of his detectives was missing, and he felt responsible. He looked at Fin, the first on in the room, who was holding up a small, brown book. "What's that?" he inquired, following Fin over to his desk.

"It's a date book," Fin explained, opening to the proper week. Pointing to the date of the previous day, he handed the book over to Cragen. "See here? She had a lunch date scheduled for yesterday." Cragen read the entry, and flipped back a few pages.

"Anything on when she scheduled this?" he asked, still flipping through the pages.

"Nada one," John informed him, his tone filled with disappointment. Naturally, he was worried sick. However, he wasn't going to verbalize it; his fear was apparent to everyone else, and vise versa.

Dropping the open date book on Fin's desk, Cragen closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. He wanted to say something, anything, really, but nothing coherent was forming in his head. Nothing but a very large migraine.

"Captain?" Fin inquired, noting the sudden silence of the SVU leader. It was shaking, even to him. "You alright?"

"Anything else in the apartment?" Cragen rattled out, trying desperately to avoid Fin's question, at any cost. "Anything at all?"

The three men surrounding Cragen were silent, with Fin and Munch sending each other quick, wordless glances. Cragen looked up, as he grew increasingly worried, before the silence was interrupted.

"Blood."

Cragen turned around, and looked at Elliot, who sat at his desk, a blank stare covering his face. Cragen wanted the full run down, consisting of how, why, when, and several other sections that the detectives could not have answered. Instead, Cragen decided to remain as calm as possible.

"How old?" he asked, his voice as level as he could keep it.

Elliot shrugged. "Don't know, yet," he said, simply. Allowing himself a quick glance at his partner's desk, Elliot shook his head, and looked back up at a very curious Donald Cragen. "Captain?" Elliot began, flatly. "Can I see you in your office for a minute?" He looked at Cragen, who stared back for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"Sure," Cragen accepted, and motioned for Elliot to lead the way. Elliot stood, and made his way to the Captain's office. When both he and Cragen were inside, Elliot slammed the door shut, and began to yell.

"Why in the hell wasn't I told that my partner was missing two days ago?" he asked, furiously, making hand motions with every word. He held his top lip between his teeth a moment, glaring at Cragen, as he waited for the Captain to answer.

"First of all, you need to lower your voice, Detective," Cragen said, as calmly as he could. "We aren't going to accomplish anything by yelling, here."

Elliot kept his lip in between his teeth, and dropped his eyes to the ground, growing more irritated by the second. He wanted an answer, and he wanted it, now.

"Secondly, I have to ask, why do you think that she has been missing for two days?" Cragen raised his left eyebrow, and Elliot stared back at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying his best to hold in the screams that he wanted to let loose. "No one in the apartment has seen her for two days. Her neighbour, the old woman that lives beside her, says that she saw a man by Olivia's door on Tuesday night. After that, no one has even the slightest idea as to where she might be." Elliot crossed his arms across his chest, not bothering to take a breath, before continuing. "Now, please, tell me why I wouldn't think that it wouldn't have been to days?"

Cragen looked a bit taken back by Elliot's words. "Elliot, is this woman positive about the day?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. Why? Do you know something?" He perked up a bit, and stepped forward, dropping his arms to his sides. "If you know something, Captain -."

"Elliot!" Cragen screamed, trying to grasp the other man's attention. He knew that Elliot was angry. Hell, he was, too. However, now was not the time to throw around accusations; every individual on the case needed his head in the game.

"What?" Elliot yelled back, his tone completely seething.

Cragen drew in a breath. "I just want to make sure that we have everything right, before we go in to a frenzied investigation." He looked at Elliot, expectantly, awaiting a reaction of any kind.

After a few seconds, Elliot sighed. "Fine," he replied, no less angry than he had been upon getting the initial call. Suddenly, one question came to his mind. "How was it missed that she didn't show up for work in three days?"

Cragen was surprised at the question. "What are you talking about?"

"If no one has seen her in three days, then she obviously has not been to work, right?" Cragen nodded, in response. "Then, why in the hell didn't anyone check in on her?" Elliot watched, as a look of confusion swept across Cragen features. "Don't tell me you have no idea what I am talking about, because I know that you do!"

"Elliot," Cragen began, looking completely lost. "I told her to take a few days. You know that."

"You what?"

Cragen nodded. "After the last case, I thought that she could use some time off, too. I gave you the three days, but, I told Olivia to take a few more days. You know how hard she was working on the Claun kidnapping."

"Yeah, I do..." Elliot said, letting his voice trail. "So, she's gone, there is blood in the apartment, and now you tell me that you gave her the week off? Well, that's terrific!" Elliot scoffed. "It was the perfect opportunity for some sicko to grab her!" Elliot covered his eyes with his left hand, and drew in a deep breath. "How in the hell are we supposed to find her, now?"

"We've found missing people after much longer stretches, with a lot less to work with, Elliot," Cragen offered. "We'll find her. I should point out, though, that I don't think that opportunity had anything to do with it. At least, not in the way that you suggested."

"Why is that?" Elliot asked, confused.

Cragen forced a false half-smile. "If _you_ didn't even know that she had time off, how do you think that someone else found out?"

Elliot scoffed, again. "There are ways, Captain," he replied, as he turned toward the door. "There are plenty of ways."

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Author's Note: Chapter Two down, and a few more to go! I realize that you might be lost. I write this, I am half asleep, which, granted, isn't always the best way to approach a WiP, but, it works for me! I hope that you liked it! As always, I await your kind/constructive words! Until the next chapter...


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